Yahoo News Search intensifies for missing Jay Slater in Tenerife but mum warns of online 'noise' impeding police
The mother of missing teenager Jay Slater has disclosed that local police in Tenerife have 'intensified' their efforts to locate the 19 year old.
Jay, from Lancashire, has been missing since Monday morning (June 17) when he informed his friend that his phone battery was at just 1 per cent and he was unsure how to return to his hotel. His disappearance has triggered a widespread search across the north west of the Spanish island. The Civil Guard, mountain search teams, and various other rescue resources are all involved in the desperate attempt to find him.
Friday marked another day with 'no developments'. It was the fifth day of exhaustive searches in and around the village of Masca, which is surrounded by steep terrain and large mountains with only one access road. The extensive search area - approximately 30km - concentrates on three main areas: Masca Gorge, La Vica, and Las Portelas, reports the Manchester Evening News.
In addition to the treacherous landscape, which necessitates the use of helicopters and drones, the hot and extremely dry conditions, reaching up to 25C, add to the difficulty of the search. Civil defence teams were observed strategising new areas to cover, using binoculars to plan the next stage of their efforts throughout the afternoon.
Debbie Duncan, Jay's mother, who travelled to Tenerife with other friends and family the day after her son was reported missing, spoke from her apartment on Friday. She stated that local police had 'stepped up' their search as another day passed without any answers.
She highlighted the challenges faced due to the 'language barrier' when communicating with local authorities, and expressed that the current 'noise' from global media coverage and social media speculation is hindering the search efforts.
"We've been there [the police station] all day today, and I think it's been stepped up," she remarked. "We've had a problem with the language barrier. It's difficult with all the Spanish police and British police; they have to let the Spanish police do the investigation."
"They [the police] have actually said that there's too much noise - that's affecting it. They've got all the plans, their locations. They have got this map they were showing us, all shaded in different colours."
She commended the British Consulate for their continuous support but urged local UK police to increase their involvement.
Despite the intensive search for the missing person, there are surprisingly few posters of Jay displayed around Masca, where he was last believed to be before his disappearance.
As search operations persisted into Friday, the proprietor of the secluded Airbnb where Jay Slater spent his final known night spoke about the morning he 'walked off alone'. His phone last signalled his presence in a large mountainous region approximately half a mile north of Masca, near the vacation home.
In a statement to the Manchester Evening News, Civil Defence search teams working in the area exposed the daunting scope of their task, given the sheer reminders of the vast landscape's steep and perilous features.
A leader from the Civil Defence search operations detailed the immensity of the terrains they were working on, divided into three different ravines, all approximately 30km wide. Asserting their maximum effort, he mentioned: "We still have hope that he's alive, up until the last moment when the last hope is lost. The truth is that we feel a bit frustrated because we can't find him. It's so big [here] that it's very difficult to search in such a steep area. But we're doing everything we can."
A spokesperson for the Civil Guard leading the operation affirmed that there was active exploration of the Masca areas on Friday but did not elaborate further.
